Same old warning?

[Chao]

This was reported by the AP yesterday:

Tuesday April 17 7:34 PM ET
State Dept. Warns Against Colombia


WASHINGTON (AP) - The State Department advised U.S. citizens Tuesday not to go to Colombia.

Violence by drug traffickers, guerrillas, illegal self-defense paramilitary groups and other criminal elements continue in the South American country, the department said in a statement.

And, it said, Americans and citizens of other countries continue to be victims of threats, kidnappings, domestic airline hijackings and murder.

``Threats targeting American citizens are expected to continue and possibly increase in response to U.S. support for Colombia's drug eradication program,'' the statement said.

Comments?

chao

[Chao]

Personally, I think the State Dept. is re-issuing the same warning they've issued before. It's being re-released again because of the recent kidnapping of oil workers down in Colombia.

I've been to Colombia four times - Bogota once and Cartagena three times. I've never felt threatened. I always followed the advice that's been repeated over and over again on this board.

chao

Personally I'm sick of hearing these bogey man stories about Colombia. Washington D.C, Sao Paolo Brazil, Lima Peru etc...are more dangerous in terms of street crime. But then again, those countries aren't receiving $1.3 BLN in U.S. taxpayer dollars. Use common sense and don't wander to the countryside or join some indigenous tribe you should be ok. These warnings are written by people who have probably never set foot there.

Saludos,

Frank

Frank,

Personally, I'm sick of hearing people try to make Colombia sound as safe as Disneyland.

I live just outside of Washington, D.C. 150 people have never been kidnapped from any churches around here. 75 people have never been kidnapped from any restaurants around here.

However, both have occurred just outside of Cali.

Jeff

[HonkyTonk]

I've set foot there. I've seen the violence. Read the archives under Cali and Medellin. It's your business if you feel as safe as in Kansas. I hope your lack of concern doesn't cause you to be a victim. Wake up and quit "feeling" so damn safe. I can't see posting any more about Colombian safety. It does no good. Either you realize you're in a very dangerous country and at least need to be aware of your surroundings or you can go down the street with hands waving wildly over your head, eyes glazed, reliving your favorite moments of last nights transe dance completely oblivious to where you really are. Some need to be removed from the gene pool, the gringos on this board don't. Wake up!

Whoa Jeff,

No, of course it's not as safe as Disneyland, but there are more dangerous cities in Latin America, yet people continue to look at you like you have two heads when you mention going to Colombia. Why do people consider Bogota or Cali Colombia much more dangerous then Lima, Caracas etc? I would never claim it's Disneyland, but don't make it out to be Haiti or Beirut either.

Frank

Hey Honky Tonk,

I agree that it's a total waste of time to talk about how safe Colombia is, we all know it isn't. I remember being scared to death to even go, but if you use your common sense and are aware of your surroundings and take precautions you will be fine. No one here, including myself has ever pretended it's safe, but I feel that there are other cities that are extremely dangerous and don't receive all the negative press like Colombia. Read yesterday's Wall Street Journal kidnapping is now becoming a big business here in the States as well.

Frank,

We might as well agree to disagree on this one. Colombia is the world's kidnapping capital. I - and everyone else here - have a greater chance of being kidnapped in Colombia than anywhere else in the world. The murder rate in Colombia is 8 times higher than in the U.S. Colombia is - by far - the most dangerous country in The Americas.

HonkyTonk is correct: do NOT get accustomed to a "feeling" of safety. That imaginary safety will evaporate if anybody here ever lives in Colombia and maintains a predictable daily schedule.

It is better to be reminded occasionally about the dangers of Colombia than to ignore them.

Jeff

PS - You're still a good guy, and I'll answer the email you sent me tomorrow.

[HonkyTonk]

Frank, My feelings on this are admittedly strong. I've seen enough down there and in Caracas too by the way. Maybe I'm just in the wrong place at the wrong time....several times! My intentions are not to flame anyone, especially on this subject. We are all after the same thing in Colombia for just about the same reasons. I'd like to change just 1 word in your last comment..." take precautions and you SHOULD be fine". **** happens real fast down there. I don't care about the State Dept's warnings. Broken record. I do read every day all Reuters and AP articles on Colombia about what's going on there. Remember, their hands are tied on the reporting. They NEED to be unbiased or will be dead. The amount of kidnappings in the US pales in comparison to Colombia. About 40 million people in Colombia, 280+- here but probably 10-20...maybe 50X more kidnappings there. Do the numbers. I am not a kidnap target here...I am there! I can go on and on about what our lousy passport is worth there but you get the point. Street crime out of this world. All gringos..go there, have a great time but watch your backside. No one, including your date, can do it better than you.

I agree with everything you said, you do take a higher risk of getting kidnapped by going then by staying home,but most of us on this board have taken the risk and not only returned to the states, but returned soon after, in some cases numerous times. We'll talk tomorrow Jeff.

Frank